#11-37 Springfield and Branson, MO 10-1 thru 1-5, 2011

We stopped in Springfield, MO on our way to Branson.  I’d been in contact with my friend and schoolmate, Carol and made it a point to stop and visit.  We met them at the Elk’s lodge that evening for dinner with Carol and her husband Rick and some of their friends.  It was nice to see her, but all too short, so we made arrangements for them to drive down to Branson on Sunday and spend some time with just the four of us.
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Sunday, we went to “Mel’s” diner and had lunch. 

All the servers sing, the one in the picture above is singing to the girl at the table next to us,  and our server had even been on American Idol. 

Carol and I with our server, Matt Kester. 

After lunch, Rick drove us around to places in Branson we had never seen.  There is a beautiful golf course near the airport.  Rick loves to golf and wanted us to see this place because it has such a beautiful view of the valley.  It is called Murder Rock!


We stopped at the clubhouse and had a cocktail.  We were able to sit outside on the deck and look over the valley.  What a treat.  Thanks, Rick and Carol for a great afternoon and visit!
We managed to see 4 shows during the time we spent in Branson.  We really liked the 12 Irish Tenors and was wishing for our friend, Linda Phillips when they were singing Irish folk songs.  We also saw the group Six, which are six brothers that sing without any instruments.  All the sounds they make are human, but, boy do they sound like drums and horns while they sing.  They were quite amazing.  The last show we saw the night before we left for AR was the Osmond Brothers.  They put on a wonderful performance and are so personable.  One of the things that Jimmy Osmond said about the difference between performing in Vegas and in Branson really says it all.  He said it is the reason they have been performing in Branson for 26 years,  and why they love it here.  “You can talk about Jesus Christ, be patriotic about our country and sing gospel.”  I think that is why Frank and I love it so much and keep coming back.  This is our 4th trip.

During intermission the Osmond’s come down into the audience and talk to the audience.  No restrictions on photographs. 

Jay, Jimmy and Wayne Osmond

Our picture to remember the night we were with the Osmond Brothers.

#11-36 Springfield, IL, St. Louis, MO–Sept 28 thru Sept 30

After leaving Elgin, we headed south and west.  Our first overnight stop was in Springfield IL  Todd and Rachael had raved about the new Lincoln Museum, so we made a point of visiting.  We could only take pictures out in the lobby, but there was much more to see.

You go through the log cabin where Lincoln was raised and back into the display rooms telling about his life before he became president.

Statues of the Lincoln Family.  They were in the middle of the lobby.

Inside the “rotunda” were replicas of many of the dresses that Mary Todd Lincoln wore during their time in the white house.  Then on into the presidential years and many displays showing the Civil war soldiers and then the assignation of Lincoln. 
By the time we viewed the displays in those two areas, it was time to leave.  The museum was closing.
The next day we headed south and west toward St. Louis.

It was a beautiful day and as we drove through St. Louis I snapped a few pictures of the Arch.  We are on our way to Branson and decided to just drive straight through.  As you can see, the Arch can be seen even before you see St. Louis. 

#154 Branson, MO 10-14 thru 10-22-2009

We are back again at Turkey Creek RV Campground in Hollister, MO

Check out the high water level. This is where we usually walk the dog!

We arrived on Wed. That evening there was live entertainment in the Rec Hall. A tribute to Patsy Cline. So we went. I didn’t buy any of her CD’s. I’ve heard better, but she did put on a good show.

Oh, no, I must have ate something bad! I was sick for three days. Either that or I had an intestinal bug! We stayed inside and I slept—while it rained! By Sunday, whatever I had was gone, so we went to church and into Branson to see what shows we might want to see this year. While at the Wal-Mart we were entertained at Center Stage by a Buddy Holly impersonator.

He was very good, and high energy. We also saw part of a performance by “Twice Adopted” kids that performed. They were really cute. You can see their picture in the upper right hand corner of the right hand picture.

We stopped at the two for one ticket office and got tickets for the Rankin Brother’s Show on Tuesday. We also got tickets for Monday morning performance by James Garrett, his tribute to John Denver. We had seen him two years ago and he is so good that we wanted to go back.

He didn’t disappoint us as all. It is the best morning show in all of Branson and he has the awards to prove it. We sat in the front row with our feet on the stage!

Monday afternoon we went to see The Twelve Irish Tenors. High energy show, all guys! Great dancing and awesome singing. Both of us remarked on what a great day we had. No wonder we keep coming back to Branson.

We had ticket to see the Rankin Brothers at 3 pm on Tues, so we thought we would tour the College of the Ozarks. It is also known as “Hard Work U” This is an amazing place. I though Harvard and MIT were great, and they are for large universities. But, this little university is a completely different story.

The students here all work to pay their tuition and have the opportunity to also work to pay their room and board. When they graduate, they do so debt free. I like that idea! Not only do they get classroom education, but they get practical training also.

Our tour is a self guided tour with a CD in the car. We went to the old mill, where the students grind the grain and package it to sell. They also learn to weave and to make baskets. See there is a basket weaving class! Then we went to the greenhouses where they grow orchids as well as other flowers. You can actually buy flowers from the greenhouses.

Fall flowers above, outside the greenhouses. Orchids below that are grown inside the greenhouses.

We didn’t make it to the Milking Barns, or to where they make their own jellies, fruitcake and ice cream. We went directly to the Chapel. The limestone that the chapel was built from was quarried right in MO. The stained glass all came from Austria. It was built in the Gothic style and the students are required to attend services a certain amount of time each semester.

After viewing the Chapel we walked out on Overlook point. From here we can see the fields where the cattle are raised. The college sits on 1,000 acres. You can see part of Table Rock Lake and off in the distance you can see the town of Branson. Pretty awesome site.

By this time is was getting time to go to our afternoon show, so we left the college and headed to downtown Branson.

I was amazed at the talent of the Rankin Brothers. Never heard of them, but they put on one of the best shows. The range of their singing is awesome. They did songs from the 40’s through the 90’s. And what nice men. We talked to them after the show and had them autograph the CD’s we bought and the scarf I received from “Elvis.” You know if we bought CD’s that they were good. I’m ever conscience of the fact that we don’t have much storage space in the RV. But, because of the range of singing they do, and the different styles of singing they have, we bought 3 CD’s!

Back to Turkey Creek, where we are signed up for home made sausage and chicken Gumbo dinner. Escapee’s are really good people and the parks are always a fun place to be. Food was great and company was fun to be around!

The next day—Wednesday—it is supposed to rain, AGAIN!!! So we decided it would be a good day to go back to College of the Ozarks and take in their museum. They call it the Smithsonian of the Ozarks. It was a good day to be inside. We have had two drop dead, gorgeous, sunny, warm (70 degree) days, so now we are back to rain.

One of the first things that greet us in the Museum is the original Beverly Hillbillies Car.

How about a new Washing Machine for $17.48? I couldn’t believe it was in such good shape.

This miniature house was so amazing I took lots of pictures so you could see the detail, both inside and out. Be sure and check out the pictures in the album. They are all built to scale and time period. I was fascinated.

View Full Album

We went from the main floor where there were many more displays of dishes, dolls, trains, furniture, glassware and other collections to the second story where we looked at multiple rooms of fire arms. Rifles, pistols, flare guns, swords, and other kinds of weapons. I only took a few pictures of some that were interesting to me.

Then on up to the third floor where I was blown away by the amount of trophy heads and stuffed animals I’ve ever seen.

And I finally got a picture of a Moose. All through New England we were warned to watch out for Moose crossing the road, and we come to MO to find our Moose!

As we left the Museum I took this picture for daughter, Laurie. See, honey, you aren’t the only one to collect the Kokeshi Dolls.

We had lunch on the Campus at their student run dining room. It is pretty impressive.

The dining room, gift shop and offices. The dining room over looks the lake out the back. Beautiful. I liked the decorations on either side of the entrance doors.

As you can see this is a beautiful setting for a college. Both of us are really impressed. Won’t some of you grandchildren please apply for admission so we can come visit?